1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to a trigger lock device which can be locked and unlocked using a key which may be a ring.
2. Background of the Invention
One of the most important aspects of gun safety is the safe storage of firearms when they are not in use. Children or other unauthorized users frequently find guns and accidentally or intentionally discharge them. Trigger locks are devices which are inserted into the trigger guard area of a gun. When engaged and locked, trigger locks make it impossible to pull the gun""s trigger and, in most cases, make it impossible to discharge the weapon. Trigger lock devices have been used to ensure the safe storage of guns.
Some existing trigger locks can be pried away from the trigger guard or picked open using screwdrivers or other key substitutes. And, if the trigger lock locks with a key and the key is carelessly stored, a determined child or other unauthorized user may be able to find the key, use the key to unlock a trigger lock and cause injury.
Trigger locks can be awkward to use. If firearms are kept for personal safety reasons, it is often a great concern to be able to remove the trigger lock quickly in the event of sudden fear for one""s personal safety. If great care is taken to store the key separately from the firearm, to prevent determined children from finding the key for example, it might take precious time to search for and retrieve the key, use it to unlock the trigger lock, remove the trigger lock and operate the weapon. Often, trigger locks are not used while storing a gun because of this potential delay.
Trigger locks can also be awkward to use by their design. Some trigger locks are two-piece units. Some of these two piece units must be screwed together and others must be aligned and locked together using a key. To use these two-piece trigger locks, a first half of the trigger lock mechanism must be carefully aligned around the trigger and trigger guard. Then, a second half of the trigger lock must be carefully aligned with its first complimentary half, which often requires the alignment of several oddly placed pins and recesses. Finally, the two halves must be affixed to each other. This may require screwing one half down onto the other half or locking the two halves with a key, while carefully holding the two halves in alignment around the gun""s trigger. Unlocking these two halves can be equally awkward. Unlocking may require unscrewing one half from the other and using a key while holding the gun, then catching the released half of the trigger lock when it falls free of the gun and removing the key from the lock. Trigger locks designed in these ways virtually require that the operator put the gun down at some point during the process of removing the trigger lock.
Therefore, there exists a need for a practical trigger lock which can lock and unlock a gun easily and quickly. There is a need for a trigger lock which does not require complicated locking of two separate halves of a lock around a trigger guard. And, there is a need for a trigger lock which can operate with a key which is easily accessible to the gun owner but not easily accessible to a child or an unauthorized user.
A one-piece trigger lock which is adapted to be inserted into a trigger guard of a gun comprising a lock mechanism movable between a locked position and a release position is disclosed herein. When the trigger lock is inserted into a trigger guard of a gun and the lock mechanism is in the locked position, the trigger lock is secured within the trigger guard and the gun cannot be discharged. When the trigger lock is inserted into a trigger guard of a gun and the lock mechanism is in the release position, the trigger lock is removable from the trigger guard. The trigger lock has a keyway into which a key may be engaged for moving the lock mechanism between the locked and release positions. The key is adapted to be secured to a user""s hand.
Also disclosed herein is a one-piece trigger lock in which the key engages the keyway to move the lock mechanism between the locked and release positions by pressing against the keyway. The key may engage the keyway in any orientation, or may be limited to specific orientations when engaging the keyway. Or, the key may engage the keyway to free the lock mechanism to move between the locked and release positions by rotating or otherwise moving inside the keyway.
In addition, the lock mechanism may slide in one direction from the locked position to the release position and may slide in the opposite direction from the release position to the locked position. Or, the lock mechanism may slide in either direction from the locked position to the release position. Or, the lock mechanism may comprises a hinge, allowing the lock mechanism to swing from the locked position to the release position on the hinge.
The trigger lock may also comprise at least one safety or anti-picking feature. Such safety feature may include multiple lock-pins. The lock-pins may have very narrow tolerances to further increase the difficulty of picking the lock. The key-keyway relationship is non-standard, meaning that the key does not look like a common key and similarly the lock does not look like a common lock, which may make picking the lock more difficult. Also, the trigger lock may be structured and arranged so that it cannot be disassembled unless the trigger lock is in the unlocked position. In addition, the trigger lock may be structured and arranged so that there is no obvious place to cut the trigger lock away from the trigger area of a gun using cutters. An additional safety feature may include a behind-the trigger wedge which blocks the trigger from being depressed. In addition, the behind-the-trigger wedge may be longer than the length of the lock mechanism so that the behind-the-trigger wedge inserts behind the trigger before the lock mechanism is placed. This may prevent the trigger from being depressed as the trigger lock is being inserted into the trigger guard.
Also disclosed herein is a lock movable between a locked position and a release position comprising a key adapted to be secured to a user""s hand; a keyway into which a key may be engaged to move a lock mechanism between a locked and a release position; wherein the key engages the keyway to move the lock mechanism between the locked and release positions by pressing against the keyway.
In addition, a method for using the trigger lock is disclosed herein. The method includes the steps of releasing the locking mechanism of the trigger lock, moving the trigger lock from the locked to the release position, pushing the trigger lock away from the trigger guard area of a gun, and placing the trigger finger inside the trigger guard area in one swift, fluid, easy motion.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.